Real Radiation Risks to Hawaii
From
Japan's Nuclear Disaster

by Survival Joe Jacobs

Radiation from the Fukushima reactor could reach Hawaii.

"We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States, whether it’s the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories in the Pacific," says President Obama in The Los Angeles Times, "Public health experts do not recommend people in the U.S. take precautionary measures."

While public health experts are saying that a nuclear meltdown is nothing to worry about, other "experts report severe radiation poisoning throughout Japan," says the Westmoreland Times, "with the possibility of further disaster which could affect not only Japan, but also Hawaii..."

So, who do you believe? There are two important points to consider before jumping on the care-free apathy wagon:

"Chernobyl on Steroids"

As the world is now discovering, the Fukushima reactor has seven pools each containing over 3,400 spent uranium fuel rods (see Alert: Fukushima Cover up, 40 Years of Spent Nuclear Rods Blown Sky High). This stockpile of highly radioactive materal dates back 40 years and should have been relocated to another site. The radiation it would produce in a meltdown would be like “Chernobyl on steroids” according to Arnie Gunderson, a nuclear engineer overseeing a Vermont plant that is identical to the Japanese plant.

“If we do go into a full core meltdown,” says Yochi Shimatsu, former editor of Japan Times, on a Chinese TV news station, “this is going to be a huge problem. Not just for neighboring countries but for the United Sates, because the jet stream is going to carry most of the radiation directly over half of the United States.”

It can take up to seven days before an increase in radiation from the Japanese nuclear crisis becomes apparent to the people of Hawaii. So while Hawaii may be okay today, next week could be very different if a meltdown occurs.

Can You Trust the Government
Or the Media to Tell You the Truth?

Secondly, media, corporations and government have a reputation for under-reporting risks. For example:

An August 2003 report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Environment Protection Agency claimed that the federal government pressured the EPA to remove cautionary information about the air quality in New York City after the collapse of the World Trade Centre. "To date, 75 recovery workers at ground zero have been diagnosed with blood cell cancers," reports Kristen Lombardi in Death by Dust, "that a half-dozen top doctors and epidemiologists have confirmed as having been likely caused by that exposure."

This week, Masashi Goto, a Japanese engineer who helped design the Fukushima nuclear power plant, reported to BBC News that the situation is far more unstable than the government is letting on and that “consequences would be tremendous."

Don't Be Scared. Be Prepared

Any sane person would not rely on Obama's assurances that a nuclear disaster of this magnitude does require "precautionary measures."

Considering the vulnerable location of Hawaii, the extremely unstable state of the Fukushima reactor and government reputation to downplay a crisis, I think it would be very prudent o take my Radiation Survival Mini-Course: 7 Ways to Prepare for Radioactive Fallout. It's totally free and explains how to protect yourself and your family from the risks of fallout (whether from the Fukushima reactors or another radioactive disaster like a nuclear weapons attack). Click here to start you 7-day email course now.

About the Author: Survival Joe has taken a special interest in urban survival and family preparedness. “I’m just a regular dad,” says Joe, “who can’t ignore the fact that a disaster is bound to happen.” Joe writes about what to expect and how to prepare on his survival blog. You have permission to reprint any article on his blog so long as you include the resource box with a link back to the original article. Get your free gift here: Food Bubble: How to Survive the Coming Food Shortage.